I've been intrigued by Mike Meyers/Disfarmer since not long after Julia Scully started writing about him. I fully realize that not everyone likes these photos, but for those that are interested in them I'd like to start some discussion about the photos and the technique behind them. To me, this would be more interesting than usual just because the technique is seemingly so simple and transparent, yet not really agreed on. As I've found with other photographers I've researched, writers seem to miss some things that seem kind of obvious. Much of this is probably from lack of practical experience in the exact type of work they are discussing. Of course, this will probably get worse as time goes on, though maybe the continuing interest in reviving early techniques will help keep practical knowledge available.

Then again, I may be completely wrong in my observations too, so would like to hear what others have to say before I steer things on a particular course.

A few things to start off:

Disfarmer shot almost entirely on glass plates for his studio work. His largest size seems to have been 3.25 x 5.5 inch postcard format, often printed on Kodak postcard stock. I believe he also shot smaller plates, but don't have a clear source on that at the moment. He only seems to have made contact prints. A couple enlargements exist, but were made for him.

His lighting was from a tall almost north facing slanted window, maybe not technically a skylight, but similar. I've not seen much discussion of light modulation, but he must have done some, most skylight photographers had blinds or similar, though by not going as flat at the top as most skylights he might not have needed as much.

And, of course, my interest is actually in the pictures he captured. If you are not familiar with his work, it is worth taking a look. Like them or not, his pictures are nearly unique in their presentation of their subjects. Better to let you make your own conclusions. My interest is in what he accomplished and how he accomplished it.